Texas Republicans file bill banning abortion after heartbeat detected

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A bill has been filed in the Texas legislature that would ban abortion after a heartbeat has been detected in a fetus — which is roughly six weeks.

The bill was filed by Representatives Phil King, R-Weatherford; Dan Flynn, R-Canton; and Geanie Morrison, R-Victoria. The bill says that fetal heartbeat "has become a key medical predictor that an unborn child will reach live birth" and that "the state has legitimate interests from the outset
of the pregnancy in protecting the health of the woman and the life of an unborn child who may be born."

The bill is not the first of its kind. Earlier this year, North Dakota filed and passed similar legislation. The bill is currently being considered in court and is challeneged for being unconstitutional.

Texas's second special session ends July 31, so if lawmakers wanted to pass the bill, they would have to start working on it soon. A committee hearing has not been scheduled yet.

When Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed the previous abortion legislation into law earlier this week, he told lawmakers to go home once they had a transportation funding bill on his desk.